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<h1>Particles Reloaded</h1>

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<ol>
<li><a href="#part1">Particles used with verbs</a></li>
<li><a href="#part2">The direct object 「を」 particle</a></li>
<li><a href="#part3">The target 「に」 particle</a></li>
<li><a href="#part4">The directional 「へ」 particle</a></li>
<li><a href="#part5">The contextual  「で」 particle</a></li>
<li><a href="#part6">When location is the topic</a></li>
<li><a href="#part7">When direct object is the topic</a></li>
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<h2 id="part1">Particles used with verbs</h2>
<p>
In this section, we will learn some new particles essential for using verbs.  We will learn how to specify the direct object of a verb and
the location where a verb takes place whether it's physical or abstract.
</p>

<h2 id="part2">The direct object 「を」 particle</h2>
<p>
The first particle we will learn is the object particle because it is a very straightforward particle.  The 「を」 character is attached to
the end of a word to signify that that word is the direct object of the verb.  This character is essentially never used anywhere else.  That is why the katakana equivalent 「ヲ」 is almost never used since particles are always written in hiragana.  The 「を」 character, while technically pronounced
as /wo/  essentially sounds like /o/ in real speech.  Here are some examples of the direct object particle in action.
</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>
（１）　<span title="さかな - fish" class="popup">魚</span><em>を</em><span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べる</span>。
<br />- Eat fish.
</p>

</p>
（２）　<span title="ジュース - juice" class="popup">ジュース</span><em>を</em><span title="のむ - to drink" class="popup">飲んだ</span>。
<br />- Drank juice.
</p>

<p>Unlike the direct object we're familiar with in English, places can also be the direct object of motion verbs such as 「<span title="あるく - to walk" class="popup">歩く</span>」 and 「<span title="はしる - to run" class="popup">走る</span>」.
Since the motion verb is done <i>to</i> the location, the concept of direct object is the same in Japanese. However, as you can see by the next examples, it often translates to something different in English due to the slight difference of the concept of direct object.
</p>

<p>
（３）　<span title="まち - town" class="popup">街</span><em>を</em><span title="ぶらぶら - sway to and fro; aimlessly" class="popup">ぶらぶら</span><span title="あるく - to walk" class="popup">歩く</span>。
<br />- Aimlessly walk through town. (Lit: Aimlessly walk town)
</p>
<p>
（４）　<span title="こうそく - high-speed" class="popup">高速</span><span title="どうろ - route" class="popup">道路</span><em>を</em><span title="はしる - to run" class="popup">走る</span>。
<br />- Run through expressway. (Lit: Run expressway)
</p>

<p>When you use 「<span title="する - to do" class="popup">する</span>」 with a noun, the 「を」 particle is optional and you can treat the whole [noun+<span title="する - to do" class="popup">する</span>] as one verb.
</p>

<p>
（５）　<span title="まいにち - everyday" class="popup">毎日</span>、<span title="にほんご - Japanese language" class="popup">日本語</span>を<em><span title="べんきょう - study" class="popup">勉強</span><span title="する - to do" class="popup">する</span></em>。
<br />- Study Japanese everyday.
</p>
<p>
（６）　<span title="メールアドレス - email address" class="popup">メールアドレス</span>を<em><span title="とうろく - register" class="popup">登録</span><span title="する - to do" class="popup">した</span></em>。
<br />- Registered email address.
</p>

<h2 id="part3">The target 「に」 particle</h2>
<p>
The 「に」 particle can specify a target of a verb.  This is different from the 「を」 particle in which the verb does something <i>to</i> the direct object. With the 「に」 particle, the verb does something <i>toward</i> the word associated with the 「に」 particle.  For example, the target of any motion verb is specified by the 「に」 particle.
</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>（１）　ボブは<span title="にほん - Japan" class="popup">日本</span><em>に</em><span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行った</span>。
<br />- Bob went to Japan.
</p>
<p>
（２）　<span title="いえ - house; うち - home" class="popup">家</span><em>に</em><span title="かえる - to go home" class="popup">帰らない</span>。
<br />- Not go back home.
</p>
<p>
（３）　<span title="へや - room" class="popup">部屋</span><em>に</em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">くる</span>。
<br />- Come to room.
</p>

<p>
As you can see in example （３）, the target particle always targets "to" rather than "from". If you wanted to say, "come from" for example, you
would need to use 「から」, which means "from". If you used 「に」, it would instead mean "come <i>to</i>".  「から」 is also often paired
with 「まで」, which means "up to".</p>

<p>
（４）　アリスは、<span title="アメリカ - America" class="popup">アメリカ</span><em>から</em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">きた</span>。
<br />- Alice came from America.
</p>
<p>
（５）　<span title="しゅくだい - homework" class="popup">宿題</span>を<span title="きょう - today" class="popup">今日</span><em>から</em><span title="あした - tomorrow" class="popup">明日</span><em>まで</em><span title="する - to do" class="popup">する</span>。
<br />- Will do homework from today to tomorrow.
</p>

<p>
The idea of a target in Japanese is very general and is not restricted to motion verbs.  For example, the location of an object is defined as the
target of the verb for existence （<span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">ある</span> and
<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>）.  Time is also a common target.  Here are some examples of non-motion verbs and their targets
</p>

<p>（６）　<span title="ねこ - cat" class="popup">猫</span>は<span title="へや - room" class="popup">部屋</span><em>に</em><span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>。
<br />- Cat is in room.
</p>
<p>
（７）　<span title="いす - chair" class="popup">椅子</span>が<span title="だいどころ - kitchen" class="popup">台所</span><em>に</em><span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">あった</span>。
<br />- Chair was in the kitchen.
</p>
<p>
（８）　<span title="いい - good" class="popup">いい</span><span title="ともだち - friend" class="popup">友達</span><em>に</em><span title="あう - to meet" class="popup">会った</span>。
<br />- Met good friend.
</p>
<p>
（９）　ジムは<span title="いしゃ - doctor" class="popup">医者</span><em>に</em><span title="なる - to become" class="popup">なる</span>。
<br />- Jim will become doctor.
</p>
<p>
（１０）　<span title="せんしゅう - last week" class="popup">先週</span><em>に</em><span title="としょかん - library" class="popup">図書館</span><em>に</em><span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行った</span>。
<br />- Went to library last week.
</p>
<p>
Note: Don't forget to use 「<span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">ある</span>」 for inanimate objects such as the chair and 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」 for animate objects such as the cat.
</p>

<p>
While the 「に」 particle is not always required to indicate time, there is a slight difference in meaning between using the target particle and not using anything at all. In the following examples, the target particle makes the date a specific target emphasizing that the friend will go to Japan at that time.  Without the particle, there is no
special emphasis.

</p>
<p>
（１１）　<span title="ともだち - friend" class="popup">友達</span>は、<span title="らいねん - next year" class="popup">来年</span>、<span title="にほん - Japan" class="popup">日本</span>に<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行く</span>。
<br />- Next year, friend go to Japan.
</p>
<p>
（１２）　<span title="ともだち - friend" class="popup">友達</span>は、<span title="らいねん - next year" class="popup">来年</span><em>に</em><span title="にほん - Japan" class="popup">日本</span>に<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行く</span>。
<br />- Friend go to Japan next year.
</p>

<h2 id="part4">The directional 「へ」 particle</h2>
<p>
While 「へ」 is normally pronounced /he/, when it is being used as a particle, it is always pronounced /e/ （え）.  The primary difference between the 「に」 and 「へ」 particle is that 「に」 goes <i>to</i> a target as the final, intended destination (both physical or abstract). The 「へ」 particle, on the other hand, is used to express the fact that one is setting out towards <i>the direction</i> of the target. As a result, it is only used with directional motion verbs. It also does not guarantee whether the target is the final intended destination, only that one is heading towards that direction. In other words, the 「に」 particle sticks to the destination while the 「へ」 particle is fuzzy about where one is ultimately headed.
For example, if we choose to replace 「に」 with 「へ」 in the first three examples of the previous section, the nuance changes slightly.
</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>（１）　ボブは<span title="にほん - Japan" class="popup">日本</span><em>へ</em><span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行った</span>。
<br />- Bob <em>headed towards</em> Japan.
</p>
<p>（２）　<span title="いえ - house; うち - home" class="popup">家</span><em>へ</em><span title="かえる - to go home" class="popup">帰らない</span>。
<br />- Not go home <em>toward</em> house.
</p>
<p>（３）　<span title="へや - room" class="popup">部屋</span><em>へ</em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">くる</span>。
<br />- Come <em>towards</em> room.
</p>

<p>Note that we cannot use the 「へ」 particle with verbs that have no physical direction. For example, the following is incorrect.
</p>
<p>
（誤）　<span title="いしゃ - doctor" class="popup">医者</span><em><strike>へ</strike></em><span title="なる - to become" class="popup">なる</span>。
<br />- （Grammatically incorrect version of 「<span title="いしゃ - doctor" class="popup">医者</span>に<span title="なる - to become" class="popup">なる</span>」.）
</p>
<p>
This does not mean to say that 「へ」 cannot set out towards an
abstract concept.  In fact, because of the fuzzy directional meaning of this particle, the 「へ」 particle can also be used to talk about setting out towards certain future goals or expectations.
</p>
<p>
（４）　<span title="かち - victory" class="popup">勝ち</span><em>へ</em><span title="むかう - to face; to go towards" class="popup">向かう</span>。
<br />- Go towards victory.
</p>

<h2 id="part5">The contextual 「で」 particle</h2>
<p>
The 「で」 particle will allow us to specify the context in which the action is performed.  For example, if a person ate a fish, where did he eat it?
If a person went to school, by what means did she go?  With what will you eat the soup?  All of these questions can be answered with the
「で」 particle.  Here are some examples.
</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>（１）　<span title="えいがかん - movie theatre" class="popup">映画館</span><em>で</em><span title="みる - to see" class="popup">見た</span>。
<br />- Saw at movie theater.
</p>
<p>
（２）　<span title="バス - bus" class="popup">バス</span><em>で</em><span title="かえる - to go home" class="popup">帰る</span>。
<br />- Go home by bus.
</p>
<p>
（３）　<span title="レストラン - restaurant" class="popup">レストラン</span><em>で</em><span title="ひるごはん - lunch" class="popup">昼ご飯</span>を<span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べた</span>。
<br />- Ate lunch at restaurant.
</p>

<p>It may help to think of 「で」 as meaning "by way of".  This way, the same meaning will kind of translate into what the sentence means. The
examples will then read: "Saw by way of movie theater", "Go home by way of bus", and "Ate lunch by way of restaurant."
</p>


<h3>Using 「で」 with 「<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>」</h3>
The word for "what" （<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>） is quite annoying because while it's usually read as 「なに」, sometimes it is read as
「なん」 depending on how it's used.  And since it's always written in
Kanji, you can't tell which it is.  I would suggest sticking with 「なに」 until someone corrects you for when it should be 「なん」.  With the 「で」 particle, it is
read as 「なに」 as well. (Hold the mouse cursor over the word to check the reading.)
</p>
<p>
（４）　<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span><em>で</em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">きた</span>？
<br />- Came by the way of what?
</p>
<p>
（５）　<span title="バス - bus" class="popup">バス</span><em>で</em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">きた</span>。
<br />- Came by the way of bus.

<p>Here's the confusing part.  There is a colloquial version of the word "why" that is used much more often than the less colloquial version 「<span title="どうして - why" class="popup">どうして</span>」
or the more forceful 「<span title="なぜ - why" class="popup">なぜ</span>」.
It is also written as 「<span title="なんで - why" class="popup">何で</span>」 but it is read as 「なんで」. This is a completely separate word and has nothing to do with the 「で」 particle.
</p>
<p>]
（１）　<em><span title="なんで - why" class="popup">何で</span></em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">きた</span>？
<br />- Why did you come?
</p>
<p>（２）　<span title="ひま -  having nothing to do" class="popup">暇</span>だから。
<br />- Because I am free (as in have nothing to do).
</p>

<p>The 「から」 here meaning "because" is different from the 「から」 we just learned and will be covered
later in the <a href="compound.html#part4">compound sentence</a> section.  Basically the point is that the two sentences,
while written the same way, are read differently and mean completely different things.
Don't worry. This causes less confusion than you think because 95% of the time, the
latter is used rather than the former.  And even when 「なにで」 is intended, the context will leave no mistake on which one is being used.  Even in this short
example snippet, you can tell which it is by looking at the answer to the question.
</p>

<h2 id="part6">When location is the topic</h2>
There are times when the location of an action is also the topic of a sentence.  You can attach the topic particle （「は」 and 「も」） to the three
particles that indicate location （「に」、「へ」、「で」） when the location is the topic.  We'll see how location might become the topic in the following examples.

<h3>Example 1</h3>
<p>
ボブ：　<span title="がっこう - school" class="popup">学校</span>に<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行った</span>？
<br />- [Did you] go to school?
</p>
<p>
アリス：　<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行かなかった</span>。
<br />- Didn't go.
</p>
<p>
ボブ：　<span title="としょかん - library" class="popup">図書館</span><em>には</em>？
<br />- What about library?
</p>
<p>
アリス：　<span title="としょかん - library" class="popup">図書館</span><em>にも</em><span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行かなかった</span>。
<br />- Also didn't go to library.
</p>
<p>
In this example, Bob brings up a new topic (library) and so the location becomes the topic.  The sentence is actually an abbreviated version of
「<span title="としょかん - library" class="popup">図書館</span>には<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行った</span>？」 which you can ascertain from the context.
</p>

<h3>Example 2</h3>
<p>
ボブ：　<span title="どこ - where" class="popup">どこ</span>で<span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べる</span>？
<br />- Eat where?
</p>
<p>
アリス：　<span title="イタリア - Italy" class="popup">イタリア</span><span title="レストラン - restaurant" class="popup">レストラン</span><em>では</em><span title="どう - how" class="popup">どう</span>？
<br />- How about Italian restaurant?
</p>
<p>
Bob asks, "Where shall we eat?" and Alice suggests an Italian restaurant.  A sentence like, "How about..." usually brings up a new topic because
the person is suggesting something new.  In this case, the location (restaurant) is being suggested so it becomes the topic.
</p>

<h2 id="part7">When direct object is the topic</h2>
<p>The direct object particle is different from particles related to location in that you cannot use any other particles at the same time.  For example,
going by the previous section, you might have guessed that you can say 「をは」 to express a direct object that is also the topic but this is not the
case.  A topic can be a direct object without using the 「を」 particle.  In fact, putting the 「を」 particle in will make it wrong.
</p>
<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>
（１）　<span title="にほんご - Japanese language" class="popup">日本語</span><em>を</em><span title="ならう - to learn" class="popup">習う</span>。
<br />- Learn Japanese.
</p>
<p>
（２）　<span title="にほんご - Japanese language" class="popup">日本語</span><em>は</em>、<span title="ならう - to learn" class="popup">習う</span>。
<br />- About Japanese, (will) learn it.
</p>

<p>Please take care to not make this mistake.</p>
<p>（誤）　<span title="にほんご - Japanese language" class="popup">日本語</span><em><strike>をは</strike></em>、<span title="ならう - to learn" class="popup">習う</span>。
<br />- [This is incorrect.]
</p>

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